On Monday around 11:50 a.m., a young mother riding the New York City subway with her 7-month-old baby waited for the subway car to come to a stop at Manhattan's Columbus Circle station. Once the doors opened, the mother pushed the red-and-white polka-dot stroller that the baby was seated in onto the subway platform. The woman then hopped back on the train, abandoning the child, as the doors of the subway were set to close, the New York Daily News reported.
Witnesses told the Daily News that the baby girl's mother "was traveling north on the uptown 1 train." As of early Tuesday morning, a 20-year-old woman who police believe is the mother of the child was in custody, the Daily News reported.
Authorities were called to the station platform Monday after a woman spotted the baby, who police described as being snuggled in her stroller wearing a red-and-white blouse, a diaper and black leggings, the Daily News notes. The woman stayed with the baby for some 20 minutes and alerted the Metropolitan Transportation Authority when the mother didn't return.
Police told the Daily News that they believe the baby was left intentionally and in an area where there are no cameras. The 7-month-old was taken to a nearby hospital and appeared to be in good health, other than a reported rash. The child was in the custody of the Administration for Children’s Services, police told the Daily News.
Read more at the New York Daily News.